


Beware of the herb

by Egle_js



Series: Beware of... [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Universe, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Male Slash, Merlin is a Little Shit, One Shot, Prince Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:42:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24757201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Egle_js/pseuds/Egle_js
Summary: "Aphrodisiac herbs are very powerful," said Gaius wisely. "Love is a frightening force, but lust is able to cloud a man's brain, making his wildest and most primitive instincts come to light."Merlin looked at his wrinkled face, feeling a sort of awe. "May heaven take pity on the man who is prey to passion," added the healer in a solemn voice.Merlin nodded, only partially convinced. In short ... he had faced sorcerers driven by greed, griffins, and dragons - one -. What could a couple of herbs do to him?
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Beware of... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823350
Comments: 14
Kudos: 300





	Beware of the herb

He ran an arm over his forehead to wipe the sweat. Gaius' laboratory was full of water vapor and the temperature was almost unbearable.

"This was the last one," he announced, having spilled yet another bucket into the tub.

The old healer nodded absently, consulting the pages of a dusty volume. For years, he had not been preparing that infusion, which required hours and hours of work and a large quantity of herbs. He did it for Gilbert, who was a good man with a broken heart.

He and his wife had been trying desperately to have a baby for several months and Gaius had succumbed to his requests, preparing something that would help to awaken the peasant's male potential, without demanding any compensation in return.

They had collected herbs for days, dried them and then boiled them in a large cauldron.  
"Aphrodisiac herbs are very powerful," said Gaius wisely. "Love is a frightening force, but lust is able to cloud a man's brain, making his wildest and most primitive instincts come to light."

Merlin looked at his wrinkled face, feeling a sort of awe.  
"May heaven take pity on the man who is prey to passion," added the healer in a solemn voice.

Merlin nodded, only partially convinced. In short ... he had faced sorcerers driven by greed, griffins, and dragons - one -. What could a couple of herbs do to him?  
And just as he was formulating that thought, he tripped over a bucket, falling directly into the tub full of water.

He stood up, spitting. The eyes were burning. It had the same flavour as the infusion that they used to treat sore throat. He hurried out of the tub, trying not to spill more water on the floor.

"Merlin" snapped Gaius, running to his side.  
The boy looked down and checked his condition. He was fine, he only had wet clothes and his eyes were pinching annoyingly. Despite the fright, he was fine. He was doing great.

"You're an idiot!".

Gaius almost never told him that he was an idiot. He knew how much that insult hurt him in the soul. He must have done something more serious than usual. Yet the tub was still three quarters full. Gilbert was lower than him by the whole head and only slightly more robust, the water would have been enough for a bath.

"I'm sorry," he muttered mortified.

"Oh you will be much more sorry in a couple of hours" replied the old man "Stupid boy. How many times have I told you to be careful? "

Merlin shook his hair and looked for a dry coat.

"Tell me that at least you had your mouth shut."

Merlin pursed her lips tightly, wishing to die there, just then. He made a small aching grimace.  
"I'm sorry," he repeated, nervously shifting the weight of his body from one foot to the other. He glanced at a pile of herbs placed on the counter and then picked up a leaf.

"After all ... it's just a relaxing infusion, which allows blood to circulate more easily and .."  
His words died out under Gaius' glacial gaze. He had said the wrong thing again.

"Just an infusion," repeated the old man.  
Merlin must have had such a mortified face that in the end Gaius simply shook his head telling him to go change.

Merlin nodded, heading for his room. No matter how hard he tried to improve, he kept making some big mistakes. His mother said that everyone makes mistakes, that you shouldn't feel guilty about that.

"But some do more than others," Merlin reflected darkly. Now all he had to do was ask Gaius what would happen to him in the next few hours.

An infusion that awakened passion. Yes sure. Maybe it was fine for a man in love and who lived in an impetuous way. Like Arthur, who occasionally found himself magically running after some skirt. For a balanced and calm type like him, love filters and aphrodisiac infusions had to have the same effect as a bland herbal tea. He had felt less alone with the druid girl, less .. freak. He had finally found a kindred soul who could understand his sufferings and share his profound loneliness.

He had also kissed her, a shy brushing of lips, which had warmed his heart.  
.

But lust ... come on! He was interested in books, spells, making good triumph in the world, but love affairs were not exactly his subject. He wanted to get married ... obviously, but he saw marriage as a sort of company, of mutual comfort, support, and affection.

He went back to the laboratory. The door opened, revealing the figure of the prince.

"Hunting. Now,” said Arthur, before leaving without waiting for him.

"Merlin, don’t."

"I feel good, no problem," he replied, taking the leather bag.

"Are you sure you don't need me rather?" he asked, while Arthur persistently called him from the end of the corridor.

"No, no, everything is fine here, but ..."

Merlin showed off one of his best smiles. "Be calm. If I do not feel well, I'll be back here immediately. But for the moment I am fine ... great, "he said before running out. Suddenly he was full of energy.

"This is exactly what makes me worried," muttered Gaius, but Merlin was already far away.

***  
Merlin didn't like hunting. He was content to follow Arthur, who was walking like a hound, chasing invisible traces in the thick of the vegetation. His biggest conquest in those hunting trips was not to fall, not to drop one of the dead preys and not to get away from Arthur in the forest.

"Don't make a noise," the prince growled, leaning forward to see something in the tangle of the branches. Merlin exhaled deeply.

Arthur blended perfectly with the woods. The arched back, the muscular legs, bandaged in roughly worked leather trousers, the strong fingers that stretched the arch. Merlin slowly tilted his head to the side, carefully watching how the leg muscles tensed as he crouched on the ground. He moved safely and elegantly among the branches; his jaw slightly contracted.

"It's a deer," he informed him, but Merlin didn't listen to him.  
All that caught his attention was a drop of sweat dripping from Arthur's hairline, continuing his run on the warm skin behind his ear, going to die in the fabric of his tunic.

Perhaps it would have been nice to follow the path of that drop with your tongue, clutching his body against Arthur's. Dart his tongue on the lobe of his ear, then tracing the sharp line of the jaw with his lips. Feel his man's taste on his mouth and tear indecent moans, while biting his jaw and then licking his neck, continuing down ... towards the closure of the jacket ...

"Merlin"

Merlin shook himself, his cheeks burning.

"Yup?" he said disoriented. He had been enchanted to look at Arthur's neck. He had imagined doing things to Arthur. And his heart was beating faster than normal. Much stronger.

"Come on".  
He nodded. He was starting to be restless. Not so much for his physical condition…it was for what he had imagined. For a moment he had felt the pressing desire to approach the prince and run his tongue over the hot skin of his neck. 

Maybe Gaius was right, maybe he had underestimated the whole situation. He had to return to the castle as soon as possible, lock himself in his room and not leave it until he was sure he had no more images like the one imprinted in the brain,

He could not simply leave the prince alone in the woods, without giving him an explanation. He had already killed two large hares, perhaps he would get tired soon. 

He followed Arthur up the hill. The ground, made slippery by the rain of the last few days, threatened to collapse under its weight.  
Arthur's ass preceded him a few meters away. Arthur's strong and long legs, his tight hips ..

He couldn't believe he had just dissected Arthur's ass with his eyes. He had faced far worse situations than that. Well, far worse.

Now he just had to ignore the sweat that was pouring down his back and the unbearable heat he felt at the height of his groin. It was like a fire.  
He untied the scarf. Even the jacket had become annoying. It was hot ... unbearably hot.

"Merlin"

He jumped when Arthur's hand suddenly dropped on him. He made a squeak. Arthur's hand so .. manly and heavy on his shoulder. He wondered what he would feel if that hand had stroked his chest for its entire length, then slipped into his pants.

"Can we come back?" he asked in a high-pitched voice, pulling away from Arthur's grip. He felt himself leaning back, before Arthur's hands closed again on his clothes and dragged him onto solid ground. Behind him there was an overhang several meters high, which ended on a series of sharp rocks.

"Thanks," he muttered. His whole face was wet with sweat.

The prince looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you OK?" he asked him.

Merlin only glanced quickly at his frowning expression.

"Yes .. it must be just .. food poisoning. Or something like that, ”he said with difficulty, avoiding looking at him.  
Arthur's lips were red and soft. And inviting. And his chest was so wide … and masculine. Merlin wondered what he would feel like running his hands over him. And then surround a nipple with his lips and suck it ...

"Please .. can we come back?" he whimpered, a heat wave descending down his belly. He just wanted to throw Arthur through the leaves and do things so perverse as to be ashamed of himself.

He narrowed his eyes tightly, trying to ignore that feeling.

"Maybe you have a fever .." murmured the heir to the throne, placing his hand on his forehead. Merlin screamed, moving away again.

Why did Arthur have that mania to always touch him? One hand on the shoulder, one hand placed in the center of his back, one hand on his arm .. how many hands did he have? 

And why couldn't he keep them in their place?

"Don't touch me," he snapped in panic. He looked around as if to find an escape. His whole body was on fire.  
He inhaled and exhaled deeply, at least trying to stop panting as if he had been running for the past two hours. He ventured to take a look at Arthur, thinking he would find him angry. Instead he could only read concern on the prince's face.

Merlin didn't want to freak out.

"Let's go back," said Arthur, securing his bow to his shoulder.  
Merlin held a big sigh of relief.

He would go back to Gaius' laboratory and then he would look for a solution.  
Then he would feel strong hands resting on his knees, making them separate slightly. He would have looked down and seen Arthur crouching under the table. A torrid smile stretched across his lips as he reached for the closure of his pants.

"What are you doing?" he would have mumbled Merlin. Arthur's smile would have turned into a kind of indecent grin, as he grabbed his hips and slid him a little further on the chair. Arthur's expert fingers would have unfasten his pants and caressed him.

And then he would feel Arthur's lips, Arthur's wet tongue tracing burning paths on his skin before the prince welcomed him completely into his mouth. And he would suck him .. again and again until ...

Merlin tripped over a root, suddenly remembering that he was in the woods. He staggered a few steps, trying to keep his balance. It was all messed up.

He had NEVER, ever formulated such thoughts before that moment.  
He looked at Arthur's back, which was a few meters ahead of him. His wide back, his firm buttocks ... to be nibbled ..

Merlin groaned. He had to stop making those thoughts. They were ... wrong! They were warm and lusty ..  
He took a deep breath of air, passing the bandana over his forehead to wipe off the sweat. He put it back in his pocket when he realized that something was wrong. In his pants.  
He looked down, realizing with horror that he was excited.

"Oh no .."

He quickly covered his jacket, feeling his cheeks literally catch fire.

He was excited. It had already happened to him ... in the past ... of course. He was young, in good health, without any serious physical or mental disorder. It was a natural reaction from his body. But it usually happened in the morning when he was in his bed or when he woke up at night after a wet dream.  
He petrified as soon as he realized that Arthur had stopped and turned towards him.

"Merlin?"  
"Yup?" he replied, swallowing empty.

"What are you hiding from me?" the prince asked him, studying his posture suspiciously.  
"Nothing," he replied quickly, covering himself. He stepped back frightened a few steps when Arthur approached him.

"What do you have under your jacket?"  
Merlin squeaked. 

"Nothing! I have nothing under my jacket, "he replied hysterically.

"Let me see"

"No .. Arthur, please," he yelled, while the prince grabbed the edges of his jacket and opened it to him.

Merlin squinted hard, his stomach was in free fall. He didn't want to look. He didn't want to look at that thing in his pants.

And he didn't want to watch Arthur looking at that thing in his pants.

"Ah" was the heir to the throne's laconic comment.

"I can explain," Merlin said quickly. His voice was two octaves higher than normal. "Gaius and I were preparing an infusion for Gilbert, the farmer who produces the wine you like so much .. he and his wife want to have a baby, but they can't conceive, so Gaius told him that he could bathe in a infusion of aphrodisiac plants to awaken the desire, but I accidentally fell into the tub before your arrival. I swear I won't… ”he said, forgetting to breathe.

"Merlin?" Arthur interrupted him compassionately.

"Yup?"

"You are stroking me," .  
Merlin watched in horror as his fingers slid free and light through the Prince's hair and then descended onto his strong neck.

"Sorry," he murmured, blushing more if this had ever been possible. He looked down, expecting Arthur to laugh. Would be dead. If only Arthur had dared to make fun of him, he would have died.

Arthur surprisingly limited himself to giving him an indecipherable look.  
"Try to look normal," he recommended, before turning his back on him and walking towards the castle. Merlin made sure the jacket concealed any suspicious bulges and then docilely followed Arthur to the walls.  
He moaned internally, following the known corridors of the castle. He mentally thanked Arthur, who was avoiding everyone where the guards were stationed. Lost in his thoughts he hardly noticed that Arthur had stopped.

"Now, go to Gaius and look for a remedy for ..." said the prince. Merlin nodded, vaguely realizing he was under shock. It was so nice to have someone like Arthur beside you. A virile man who could make decisions in his place with a firm and dominant hand. Absolutely ..

"Merlin?"

"Mh?" He muttered slyly.

"Damn it, Merlin," exploded Arthur, pushing him away badly. He was nibbling on his ear.  
"I'm sorry," Merlin peeped. His cheeks were a rich red colour. Red shame. He hated himself for what he was doing.

Arthur sighed loudly, looking out into the adjacent corridor, and calling for a guard. He handed the two hares to him and ordered him to take them to the kitchen, then took Merlin by the arm and yanked him down the stairs towards Gaius' rooms. Merlin let himself be pushed meekly; his eyes always focused on the floor. 

The old healer was right. He had never felt this way. He was wonderfully well and frighteningly bad at the same time. His blood had turned to liquid fire and his skin had become hypersensitive.

He was frighteningly aware of the pressure of Arthur's fingers on his arm, of the scent of his skin, mixed with the smell of the woods and leather. He turned his head slightly to look at him, sure that even if he had stumbled on his own feet, Arthur would have supported him.

"Gaius"

Merlin watched his Adam's apple enchantedly move as he called the healer. He smiled dumbfounded, watching closely how Arthur's neck tendons moved under the skin. They were so inviting, so absolutely manly.

"Merlin!" the heir to the throne shouted again, while Merlin sank his face into the hollow and licked his wet skin.  
Arthur grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him.

"Gaius is not there. Do you know where he may have gone? " he asked him.

"You have such beautiful eyes," Merlin gleamed. Arthur was there in all his masculine presence, just for him. To take care of him. He covered his mouth with both hands full of horror.

"I'm sorry," he repeated for the umpteenth time. Arthur sighed deeply, giving him another shake.  
"Where's Gaius?"

“The miller's daughter has a bad leg infection and Gaius goes to change her bandages every day. Stop shaking me, you're going to throw me up, "Merlin replied, collapsing on a chair when Arthur released him from his grasp. Her legs were soft. His head was light and heavy at the same time. He was himself, but he was himself in a different version than usual. Less... inhibited and he didn't want to be less inhibited! He simply wanted to be himself.  
He looked at Arthur as if he was entrusting him with his own life. Whatever Arthur had decided he would have agreed.

"Come," the prince finally said, grabbing him by the arm again and putting him back on his feet by force. "I can't leave you here alone."

"Where are you taking me?" he asked him.

“Down in the cells. There you will be safe .. without making yourself ridiculous "

"Oh no," he sighed, holding on tightly to his arm. “Don't take me to prisons. They are cold and full of mice and lice. "

"Okay, let's go," Arthur growled, climbing the stairs. Merlin let himself be guided to the Prince's rooms, hearing him order a guard not to disturb him for any reason. Merlin smiled dreamily for Arthur's masculine initiative and for the concern he had for him.  
He had never experienced anything like this. It was nice to be next to Arthur, to feel his hands on the skin, his breath ... to be able to watch his jaw stiffen.

"Well," said the prince, having barred both doors to his room. "Now all we have to do is ..."  
Merlin did not let him finish the sentence, lacing his arms behind his neck and looking for his mouth with his own. He pressed his whole body against him, feeling his erection press painfully against the fabric of his pants. Arthur's mouth was sweet.

"Merlin" screamed the heir to the throne. He grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him aside.

"I want you," sighed the young warlock, trying to get closer again, but the prince was much stronger than he was. He made him sit on a chair.  
"Arthur, please ..." Merlin whispered. His whole body was burning with excitement. He just wanted Arthur to undress him and consume his skin with the ardour of his mouth.

"Don't do this to me ... I really want you ..."

Arthur tied him tightly to the chair using his belt. His fingers moved confidently. Merlin would not have been able to free himself except by using magic. Luckily, he was still conscious enough to understand that it was not a good idea.

"Arthur" he whispered with his heart about to break. “I don't want anyone else to touch me. Please .. please, set me free "

"Save your breath, Merlin" warned the prince, taking a chair and pushing it away from the table. He sat across from him and retrieved a book "You will stay there until you are yourself again."

***  
For a moment Merlin didn't remember where he was. Slowly he moved his neck, feeling small discharges of pain going through it. He was cold.  
He looked down, realizing that Arthur's belt still held him in the chair. Yet he felt lucid and rational again. Again himself.

The memory of what he had done and said pierced him like a stab. He had told Arthur he wanted him, he had told him he just wanted him to tear off all his clothes, throw him on the bed and push himself inside him. He told him that ...

Merlin felt himself dying inside. He closed his eyes trying to dispel the echo of his voice.  
He was pretty sure that at some point he had told him he loved him.  
He lifted his eyelids, looking at the prince. He was sleeping, his head on one shoulder. The book abandoned on his lap. He could go to bed and be more comfortable, but Arthur had not abandoned his side, even for a moment.

Merlin smiled. The chest warmed by a comforting sensation. And he hadn't taken advantage of him, because he was beautiful and noble ..  
He felt the smile fading on his lips as another thought darkened his mind. Or because he simply didn't like him.

"Arthur" called out in a low voice. He waited for him to wake up completely before giving him an embarrassed smile.  
"I think the effect of the brew is over," he said. "Not.."

There was no longer any trace of excitement in his body. He only felt tired and vaguely vulnerable. He stood under the scrutiny of Arthur's gaze until the prince judged he trusted enough to get closer. Arthur untied the knots that held him prisoner.  
Merlin waited for him to move away and then stood up, all the muscles were sore from being always in the same position for many hours. He looked down at the floor.

"Thanks for ..." he murmured, fighting the urge to leave and never look at Arthur again in his life. "I don't know how I would have done if you ..."  
Merlin made a strangled moan as Arthur grabbed him by the jacket, brutally pushing him against the wall. For a second Merlin thought he was about to hit him. His jaw was painfully contracted, and his eyes seemed to flare up.

"Do you have any idea ... what torture it was for me to listen to your ravings without doing anything?" growled the prince. His mouth was dangerously close to Merlin's.

"N-no?" Merlin whispered, hoping he had given the right answer.  
He moaned softly as Arthur canceled out the distance that separated them and kissed him deeply. Merlin was surprised to respond to his kiss before he fully understood what was happening.

"And now that you're back yourself ... let's do all the things you suggested" added the prince before dragging him to the bed.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fanfic a few years ago and only recently translated it into English. I hope you liked it and that it made you smile ... and beware of aphrodisiac herbs :-)


End file.
